UEFA Champions Research Articles

Goals, Constraints, and Transparently Fair Assignments: A Field Study of Randomization Design in the UEFA Champions League

We analyze the design of a randomization procedure in a field setting with high stakes and substantial public interest: matching sports teams in the Union of European Football Association Champions League. While striving for fairness in the chosen lottery—giving teams similar distributions over potential partners—the designers seek to balance two conflicting forces: (i) imposing a series of combinatorially complex constraints on the feasible matches; and (ii) designing an easy-to-understand and credible randomization. We document the tournament’s solution, which focuses on sequences of uniform draws over each element in the final match, assisted by a computer to form the support for each draw. We first show that the constraints’ effects within this procedure are substantial, with shifts in expected prizes of up to a million euro and large distortions in match likelihoods of otherwise comparable team pairs. However, examining all possible counterfactual lotteries over the feasible assignments, we show that the generated inequalities are, for the most part, unavoidable and that the tournament design is close to a constrained-best. In two extensions, we outline how substantially fairer randomizations are possible when the constraints are weakened, and how the developed procedure can be adopted to more-general settings. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, operations management. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4528 .

Dancing with the Stars: Does Playing in Elite Tournaments Affect Performance?

AbstractThis article documents spillover effects using participation in an elite international football tournament as a laboratory. Using a novel dataset from top 5 European football leagues, we find that participation in highly selective UEFA Champions League (UCL) generates large performance gains to participating teams in their domestic leagues. More precisely, UCL participation improves goal difference (goals scored minus goals conceded) by approximately 0.3 goals per game and probability margin (probability of winning minus probability of losing) by approximately 10 percentage points. By investigating causal channels through which participation in the UCL might affect performance, we argue that our results suggest the importance of spillover effects in sports.

A Case Study Applying Lag-Sequential Analysis on Manchester City’s End of Offensive Phase During the UEFA Champions League

End of offensive phase with efficacy is the main aim in soccer. Limited research on Guardiola’s Manchester City, catalysed this diachronic, idiographic, and multidimensional case study which applied lag-sequential analysis. All attacking behaviours of City’s matches from the UEFA Champions League 2019-2020 (group stage) were obtained from INSTAT, recorded on SoccerEye and analysed by SDIS-GSEQ and Microsoft Excel. Findings show that City had a 17.07% efficacy in their attacking sequences. Having the ball in the central offensive zone induced wide shots (Fws z=4.14), shots on target (Fst z=2.34) and goals (Fgl z=4.61), and inhibited loss of ball possession by error of the ball carrier / defender’s intervention (Fled z=-7.74). City’s relative numerical inferiority induced loss of ball possession by error of the ball carrier / defender’s intervention (Fled z=2.49) or loss of ball possession by intervention of the opponent’s goalkeeper (Fgk z=2.52), while numerical equality with no pressure induced wide shots (Fws z=3.77) and throwing the ball out of the pitch (Fo z=2.51). The interactions between forward line and opponents’ midline (FM; z=2.66) and midline with midline (MM; z=4.18), induced loss of ball possession by error of the ball carrier / defender’s intervention. Finally, it was evident that City’s goals (Fgl z=4.63) were induced by the ball being played between the offensive line of the attacking team and the empty zone (opponent goalkeeper) of the defending team. Besides contributing to the existing gap of scientific understanding of patterns of play in Manchester City’s game, these findings shall also provide a benchmark for comparisons in future research and also a scientific foundation to discuss football match analysis.

Developing a Multicriteria Decision-Making Model Based on a Three-Layer Virtual Internet of Things Algorithm Model to Rank Players’ Value

This paper proposes a multicriteria decision-making model based on a three-layer virtual internet of things (IoT) algorithm to automatically track and evaluate professional football players’ performance over the Internet. The three layers were respectively related to (1) automated data reading, (2) the players’ comprehensive grey relational degree calculation, and (3) the players’ classification. The methodology was applied in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic to investigate the performance of the top 10 defenders (according to The Sun, an internationally renowned sports website) in the European leagues, participating in the knockout phase of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League. The results indicate that Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool FC was the best defender, followed by Harry Maguire of Manchester United, and Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid in the second and third positions, respectively. However, this ranking contradicted that of The Sun’s, which ranked these defenders in the seventh, tenth, and eighth positions, respectively. These results can help club management, coaches, and teams negotiate price positioning and future contract renewals or player transfers.

Do players competing in the UEFA Champions League maintain running performance until the end of the match? Positional analysis between halves and 5-minute intervals.

This investigation aimed to analyze differences in running performances amongst playing positions between the first and second halves of soccer matches and at 5-minute intervals during matches. Data were collected from 179 soccer players during 20 UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2020/2021 group stage matches. Data were examined using the InStat Fitness semi-automatic video system. Eight variables were selected to quantify players' running performance (RP). Players were categorized based on positional groups: central defenders (CD), fullbacks (FB), central midfielders (CM), wide midfielders (WM), and forwards (FW). Univariate differences in RP were analyzed using ANOVA and the t-test for dependent samples and multivariate differences were identified using canonical discriminant analysis. The main findings were that all positions achieved significantly higher average speeds and walking distances in the first half of the match than in the second half. Furthermore, analysis of positions showed that CM covered more distance than CD in all 5-minute intervals. In addition, WM performed more high-intensity running than CD in all 5-minute intervals and FW performed more high-intensity running than all other playing positions. The findings from the present study should help coaches design training exercises that are specific to parts of a match. Moreover, the findings can help provide better understanding of match demands and individualization of training. Analysis of 5-minute intervals may also help coaches understand the stages of a match where player substitutions will be most effective.

Social Network Analysis: Mathematical Models for Understanding Professional Football in Game Critical Moments—An Exploratory Study

Considering the Social Network Analysis approach and based on the creation of mathematical models, the aim of this study is to analyze the players’ interactions of professional football teams in critical moments of the game. The sample consists in the analysis of a 2019/2020 season UEFA Champions League match. The mathematical models adopted in the analysis of the players (micro analysis) and the game (macro analysis) were obtained through the uPATO software. The results of the networks indicated a performance pattern trend more robust in terms of the mathematical model: Network Density. As far as it concerned, we found that the Centroid Players had a decisive role in the level of connectivity and interaction of the team. Regarding the main critical moments of the game, the results showed that these were preceded by periods of great instability, obtaining a differentiated performance in the following mathematical models: Centrality, Degree Centrality, Closeness Centrality, and Degree Prestige. We concluded that the networks approach, in concomitance with the dynamic properties of mathematical models, and the critical moments of the game, can help coaches to better evaluate the level of interaction and connectivity of their players toward the actions imposed by opponents.

Do financial markets price UEFA Champions League competition events?

PurposeThis paper investigates the stock market reaction to three different events related to the UEFA Champions League – the announcements of draws, odds and match results. The aim of the paper is to test whether these events are informative for stock market operators, i.e. whether they produce abnormal returns.Design/methodology/approachApplying the event study methodology, the authors investigate the stock market reaction before (at two events: the draw date and on the release of betting odds) and after the matches of 11 listed soccer teams in the period 2003–2019. The authors also conduct OLS regression analyses in order to disentangle the impact of firm specific variables and match characteristics on cumulative abnormal returns.FindingsThis paper finds that match outcomes affect the stock market performance of listed teams, while the announcements of draws and odds do not. More specifically, the market does not consider match outcomes involving wins and ties as informative events, while it penalizes losing teams. Moreover, investor reactions to events related to the UCL competition depend more on match characteristics than on company specific variables.Originality/valueThe study enriches the ongoing debate about the impact of soccer team results on stock market performance in several ways: using the widest time span ever adopted in this area; focusing on UCL, which is the most important soccer competition played by private clubs; disentangling for the first time the effects of draws, odds release and sporting outcome on stock returns of listed soccer clubs.

Group draw with unknown qualified teams: A lesson from the 2022 FIFA World Cup draw

The draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup has been organised before the identity of three winners of the play-offs is revealed. Seeding has been based on the FIFA World Ranking released on 31 March 2022 but these three teams have been drawn from the weakest Pot 4. We show that the official seeding policy does not balance the difficulty levels of the groups to the extent possible: a better alternative would have been to assign the placeholders according to the highest-ranked potential winner, similar to the rule used in the UEFA Champions League qualification. Our simulations reinforce that this is the best strategy in general to create balanced groups in the FIFA World Cup.

Match Running Performance in UEFA Champions League: Is There a Worthwhile Association with Team Achievement?

Simple SummaryThis study demonstrated that running performance (RP) is not the factor which defines team achievement in UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage, indicating that the success of the teams who compete at the elite-level soccer is not influenced by pure physical performance. Although RP will not assure success, considering high physical demands observed in UCL, conditioning of the players who compete at the elite-level soccer should be at the highest possible level. These findings could help soccer coaches to optimize the training process of elite soccer players.Although running performance (RP) is considered an important factor of success in soccer, there is a lack of studies to examine this issue in highest-level soccer competition, such as UEFA Champions League (UCL). Therefore, the main objective of this study was to analyse players’ RP according to the achievement of their teams in UCL. In addition, position specific RP of the players who competed in the UCL was evaluated. The players’ RPs (n = 244) were collected during UCL group stage matches (n = 20) in the 2020/21 season using semiautomatic optical system InStat Fitness. A team’s achievement was defined by qualification of the team from the group stage into the knockout stage of the UCL, and by total group points earned at the end of the UCL group stage. Linear mixed models and Pearson’s correlation were used to examine differences in players’ RP according to the achievement of their teams. Results indicated (i) similar values of RP irrespective of whether the teams qualified from the group stage into the knockout stage of the UCL, and (ii) trivial-to-small correlations between RP and total group points. Such findings show that players’ RP was poorly related to the achievement of their teams in the UCL group stage, indicating trivial influence of RP on success in elite-level soccer.

Аналіз показників переміщення м’яча футболістами високої кваліфікації в умовах змагальної діяльності

Purpose — to establish the indicators of ball advancement by teams in the group stage games of the UEFA Champions League of the 2021/2022 season. Material and methods: in accordance with the goal and tasks set, the research program included methods of theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature, registration of technical and tactical actions, methods of mathematical statistics. The registration of technical and tactical actions was carried out on the example of the games of the teams participating in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League of the 2021/2022 season. The games in which the winner was determined were analysed. Games that ended in a draw were not analysed. A total of 78 games were registered and analysed. Results: The article presents the indicators of attacking technical and tactical actions (passing and ball control) of highly qualified football players in the conditions of competitive activity. It has been established that high-level teams in games perform a different number of passes and ball control, while advancing it to different distances. As a result of the study, it was determined that the teams in the group stage games of the UEFA Champions League of the 2021/2022 season performed 518,8±11,0 passes and 411,2±10,5 ball control. At the same time, the footage of the total number of passes of the ball of one team in the match was 7515,0±181,4 m, and the footage of the total number of dribbles was 1880,0±48,8 m. The footage of the ball passed forward was at the level of 2427,9±41,6 m, and the forward ball control distance was 1025,6±29,7 m. The winning teams significantly outperformed the losing teams in all parameters of ball advancement (p<0,001). Conclusions: the data of the conducted research testify to the differences in the indicators of attempts and the footage of moving the ball by highly qualified football players with the help of passes and ball control in games with different results.

"Comparing UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League Team Group Performances in Six Subsequent National League Matches"

"Comparing UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League Team Group Performances in Six Subsequent National League Matches"

Consumer behaviour and the relational dynamics of English premier league supporters in Nigeria

ABSTRACT The English Premier League (EPL) has one of its largest national fanbases in Nigeria. The city of Yola in Nigeria’s North East State of Adamawa is home to numerous fans of EPL elite clubs. This study examines how supporters of different EPL clubs interact with one another, and their modes of consumption of EPL football in the city. Twenty-four fans were interviewed at purposively selected football viewing centres across the city. The research revealed that within international club competitions like the UEFA Champions League, some supporters demonstrate support for other EPL clubs, despite the traditional rivalries prevalent in domestic contexts. Moreover, some fans opt to support more than one EPL team due to family ties, emergence of African players and periods of success at other clubs. The analysis demonstrates that these two factors can help restrict animosity between supporters and promote peaceful relations among fans in the locality of this study.

Interactive Effects of Situational Variables Regarding Teams' Technical Performance in the UEFA Champions League.

The aim of this study was to examine the interactive effects of situational variables (competition stage, match location, and match outcome) on teams’ technical performance in the UEFA Champion League. Match data of 19 technical actions and events were collected and classified into three groups (variables related to goal scoring, offense, and defense) during eight seasons (2009/2010–2016/2017). Repeated-measures analysis of variance (RMANOVA) was used to identify the differences in the technical performances among teams. Results showed that the significant differences in the technical performance between the group stage and the knockout stage were only found in dribble and yellow card. However, differences in the variables related to goal scoring and offense were more significant than in the variables related to defense under the comparisons across competition situations, and the differences in the variables related to defense were mainly detected in the yellow card. The number of variables that showed significant differences among match location and match outcome in the group stage were less than in the knockout stage. Therefore, the identified key performance indicators by considering the interactive effects of situational variables may provide detailed and practical insights for coaches to develop useful training interventions and match strategies for upcoming match playing in specific competition situations.

“Choose your opponent”: A new knockout design for hybrid tournaments†

We present a new, simple knockout format for sports tournaments, that we call “Choose Your Opponent”, where the teams that have performed best during a preliminary group stage can choose their opponents during the subsequent knockout stage. The main benefit of this format is that it essentially solves a recently identified incentive compatibility problem when more than one teams from a group advance to the knockout stage, by effectively canceling the risk of tanking. This new design also makes the group stage more exciting, by giving teams a strong incentive to perform at their best level, and more fair, by limiting the risk of collusion and making sure that the best group winners are fairly rewarded in the knockout round. The choosing procedure would add a new, exciting strategic component to the competition. Advancing teams would choose their opponent during new, much anticipated TV shows which would attract a lot of media attention. We illustrate how this new format would work for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, the most popular soccer club competition in the world.

UEFA Against the Champions? An Evaluation of the Recent Reform of the Champions League Qualification

The paper evaluates the impact of the only reform in the Champions Path of UEFA Champions League qualifying system, effective from the 2018/19 season. In contrast to previous studies, our methodology considers five seasons instead of only one to filter out any possible season-specific attributes. The chances of some national champions decrease much stronger than suggested by the reduction in the number of available slots. Since the negative effects depend to a large extent on the arbitrary cutoffs in the access list, we propose to introduce some randomness into the determination of entry stages.

Are Fan Tokens Fan Tokens?

Fan tokens, digital assets providing privileges including rewards and promotions as well as voting rights in polls, recently became highly popular among the football clubs and the (fan) investors. Fan tokens differ from the stocks of football clubs with respect to ownership properties. Fan tokens might be associated with investor mood changes and reaction to match results. This paper aims to explore the impact of football match results on token prices of the clubs. We show that both the losses and wins in the most prestigious European tournament, UEFA Champions League affect the fan token abnormal returns, losses with an effect of a larger magnitude. Domestic matches and Europa League matches are not followed by similar reactions from the investors. Our results are robust to the use of alternative model specifications and various benchmark assets.

Alternative views on historical aspects of the modern football formation

Football is a game of millions. People hold their breath, quit their unfinished business, and become confined to TV screens for two hours to cheer for their favorite team in the national championship or for their country’s national team. The schedule of matches of the World Cup, Europe, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, national championships and Cups fans with experience know better than “Our Father”. In the modern era of sports and competitive activities development, in terms of its popularity at all levels, football is second only to athletics and ranks first among team sports. Footballers of national teams are heroes in their homeland, their photos are always on the front pages of sports publications, they are the object of “hunting” of sports journalists, who in the pursuit of sensations even invade the personal space of players.
 Football is a game that, according to modern encyclopedic publications, first appeared in Foggy Albion, and most experts in the history of physical culture and sports agree. But recently, the struggle for the right to be considered the ancestor of the popular game has intensified among scientists around the world, who find historical facts that football had been played in their country long before the birth date of “His Majesty” was declared by the British. The British also consider themselves the first in the process of making rubber balls for playing football, not to mention that three thousand years before them, the natives of Central America made rubber balls for the national game of pok-ta-pok and ulama. Therefore, the authors team, in this article, decided to systematize modern historical information and review aspects of the formation of football.

Demand for TV Broadcasts of UEFA Champions League Games in Danish Television – The Impact of Uncertainty of Outcome, Stardom, and Local Heroes

Demand for TV Broadcasts of UEFA Champions League Games in Danish Television – The Impact of Uncertainty of Outcome, Stardom, and Local Heroes

Monitoring Technical Performance in the UEFA Champions League: Differences Between Successful and Unsuccessful Teams

This study attempted to identify associations between the TP (technical performance) of top-elite football (soccer) players according achievement of their teams and match outcome in UEFA Champions League (UCL). TP were evaluated by position specific InStat index which was calculated on the basis of a unique set of key parameters for each playing position. The participants (n = 179) were professional football players from teams that competed in the group stage of UCL in the 2020/21 season. Players were classified according to playing positions, and all data were obtained from 20 matches. Team achievement was defined by three criteria: (i) qualifying of the team from the group stage into the knockout stage of UCL, (ii) the final ranking of the team in the group, and (iii) total group points earned at the end of the group phase of UCL. The results indicated a higher InStat index when teams (i) won matches, (ii) qualified into the knockout stage, (iii) achieved a higher position on the table, and (iv) earned more group points. These findings confirmed that the InStat index is valid discriminator of TP between successful and unsuccessful teams.

Reference values for collective tactical behaviours based on positional data in professional football matches: a systematic review.

Match collective tactical behaviours can be used as a reference to design and select training strategies to improve individual and team performance in professional football. The aim of the systematic review was to cluster the collective tactical variables used to highlight and compare male soccer teams’ collective behaviour during professional official matches, providing reference values for each of them. A systematic review of relevant articles was carried out using three electronic databases (PubMed, SPORTdiscus and Web of Science). From a total of 1,187 studies initially found, 13 original articles were included in the qualitative synthesis. The articles found concerned studies carried out on the Spanish, Portuguese, English and Brazilian 1st divisions and during the European UEFA Champions League. The team length and width ranged from 31 to 46 m and from 35 to 48 m, respectively. The distance from a defending team’s goalkeeper to the nearest teammate ranged from 9 ± 6 to 30 ± 7 m, the goal line-recovery location from 27 to 37 m, and the opponent’s goal line from 42 to 50 m. The stretch index ranged from 7 to 16 m. Mean team area was ~900 m2 and the area of the pitch which included all outfield players divided by the 20 outfield players ranged from 79 ± 15 to 94 ± 16 m2. All studies provided greater distance and area values during the team-possession phase in comparison to the non-possession one. The ball location on the pitch determined the collective tactical behaviour of the teams. The differences between halves in the distance and area values were contradictory. Further studies should assess the effect of the interaction between the contextual factors on the collective tactical behaviour to obtain more accurate references. This could help football coaches in the design of suitable training tasks to optimize tactical performance.